Extant
by Morphien
Summary: Could you explain mentally being split in two? Losing part of your conscious being in order for another person to live? Life support can only do so much when you've drown out at sea and show next to no brain activity. In the throes of losing his friend in a coma, Riku searches for answers and methods to save his best friend. But who is this person they call Roxas? RiKai/RiSo


_Full summary:_ Could you explain mentally being split in two? Losing part of your conscious being in order for another person to live? Life support can only do so much when you've drown out at sea and show next to no brain activity. In the throes of losing his friend in a coma, Riku searches for answers and methods to save his best friend. But who is this person they call Roxas?

EXTANT

"Good morning, Riku." Sora yawned softly, stretching his arms in front of his chest while still holding onto his books. The silveret was currently waiting with a young girl, their conversation low and inaudible. The boy, Riku, looked content. He was still conversing quietly to her as Sora walked closer, before turning and smiling at the approaching brunet. "Hey Sora." Riku grinned, "It's looking like a good day for the beach huh?"

Rubbing at one eye, Sora slowly nodded. "Yeah, I don't see why not. It's been good days the whole week, Riku."

On the contrary, thunderstorms had plagued each trip to the beach for quite some time now. Rainy season had just started up again and the winds and undertow was becoming more than just a nuisance. Not to mention the seriously annoying raids of jellyfish that left stinging burns on the skin and seaweed patches that washed up on the coastline and got caught in their hair. No one liked them and no one was ever prepared to get stung on the arse or ear by a stray jelly.

The only thing the whole town was actually prepared for however was the rush of tourists and surfers. Borders were already packing the parking lots from out of town to catch the waves, tourists taking pictures of the washed up shells, debris from coral reefs, and the cutest washed-up jelly they could find. They crowded shops and most of the shoreline, polishing their boogie boards or taking up the best spots on the sandy, shaded areas.

The town had prepared for them. They had prepared by raising prices and redecorating for the sake of more money and customers. The raising prices were good for the shopkeepers but terrible for the others on the island. The islanders and locals always hated the tourist/jellyfish season. It was constantly becoming a penny pushing ordeal for everyone.

The wind picked up and Riku hummed in the back of his throat, "Yeah, but the earlier parts of the week were cloudy near the time we got out of school." He gestured with his hands to explain, pointing above his head and rotating an extended finger in a circular pattern. The girl giggled, gripping onto his bicep with her dainty, manicured hands.

Riku smiled down at the wine haired teen, patting her head in a kind gesture. The wind billowed through Riku's silver hair, causing it to wisp around his green tealish eyes. He tucked some loose strands behind his ears and pulled Kairi closer, her smile genuine and soft.

Sora took notice, eyes saddening abruptly as he looked away. Why was he feeling these things so suddenly? And for someone like Riku? What did Riku have that Kairi or Sophie couldn't give him...? Other than the fact that Kairi and Riku had hooked up over spring break. What could he do?

Sometimes… He found himself wishing that he were in Kairi's place. Just holding Riku's hand, telling him sweet things or even having his kids when he grew up... When and if he suddenly obtained an ability to reproduce. It made him blush, _don't be an idiot_ he chided himself while biting his lip.

Disgust for himself pooled in his heart; it started nestling between his lungs and arteries, where it then pressed and wormed its way into a space where his 'friendly love' for Riku resided. When had his friendly love for his only best friend changed so drastically into something so- so… _wrong_? Brown eyes flicked over to Riku and Kairi, a fake smile framing his face. _I can't let them know_.

It was times like this he wished – he _prayed_ – that he could just die and never wake up again. He would not have to see or think about Riku that way. In romantic notion or not. It still hurt, with Kairi dangling off Riku as if he was a trophy she just won at a bowling tournament and all. It made him remember, regret, that he never took his chances with her. Or – Riku...

If only he knew, how simple it would be. Just to sleep and never wake.

Kairi piped up, her maturing tone squeaking. "It's time to get going guys!" She yanked Riku's arm, her voice directed mostly to him instead of the angsting brunet. "Come on!" Sora sighed, mentally kicking himself for putting himself in a sour mood. He gathered his strength back up, posting a half-hearted front.

"O.k. Come on then! What are we still standing around for?" He cheerily led the way through the front double doors to the blue and green painted school. Riku, holding Kairi's hand, followed the bouncing brunet. Sora glanced behind him and faked a smile. The sickening feeling in his heart stabbing with jealousy, the reprimanding voice in his head warning him not to be too fake, while he took the lead into the first hour class they all shared.

-)(-)(-

It was _nauseating_.

Riku and Kairi were sharing meaningful looks, a Cherry Coke float, and a double-ended cherry. The eyes of both teens sparkled; Kairis' violet eyes shining and her wine colored hair curling around her cheeks. Her hand tangled together with Riku's under the table and their eyes met again.

It made the brunet feel hot inside, as if his heart was being pressed with a red-hot iron. Jealousy bubbling inside him and anxiety making his stomach churn; the thoughts running through his head dripped with poison. _What happened to me.. Why and I doing this to my best friends.._

Sora should have been congratulating them. Sora should have been patting Rikus' back and telling him how lucky he was to be with Kairi. Or Sora could have at least been over there with them telling lame jokes. But no, Sora was too busy sulking with his own Cherry Cola float, two straws lined together for extra sucking power instead of sharing with an extra mouth, and a jealous frown in place. So far this week, life seemed to suck.

Slumping in his metal link chair, Sora sighed and watched resignedly while condensation rolled off the sides of his tall, wide Coke glass. He wondered again when everything had about-faced so quickly… One minute, Riku was his best friend, Kairi was his hard-falling crush and they were the greatest threesome around. And then, they hooked up. Sora having been left out of the loop, of course he would feel this way... Right?

The young brunet turned his head to the waves, watching silently while they crashed into the shoreline and the boats as they rocked over the surface. It was so beautiful. It was peaceful and the air smelled heavily of decaying wood, salt, and the float sitting forgotten on the table before him. Sora hated it. It was too much of a reminder of how real everything was. This was real; Riku and Kairi were together, he was still living even though he thought if anything happened to split them, he'd defiantly die, and the world would stop spinning.

But the Earth spun, Riku and Kairi weren't abruptly breaking up to become the threesome again, and Sora wasn't suddenly on his death bed.

Sighing once more, Sora pushed off the chair, startling the duo at the table beside his. They looked over with a snap, Riku grinning and Kairi softly smiling with her thumb rubbing the skin of the silveret's knuckles. "Where you going, Sora? I thought we were having a good time, buddy." Riku asked with curiosity in the way he arched his brow, a playful smirk on his lips.

Sora snorted inwardly; yeah, for you. But kept his mouth clean of retorts and just waved bye with a forced smile. "I'm gone. Going to catch some sun and a few waves." Riku nodded his approval of the statement, turning back to his girl without a spare glance, sucking at his straw. The footsteps of the brunet's big yellow shoes clonked out of the establishment and over the scorching sand.

Sora noticed, from his point of walking to the shore, that there was a storm approaching. The clouds over the farthest end of the ocean were a dark slate, the wind also picking up, indicating it was going to hit land soon. Sora shrugged, it wasn't anything he could not handle. He had swum in worse.

-)(-)(- **Riku and Kairi** -)(-)(-

Small talk and laughter flittered through the outdoor restaurant, the sounds of plates and silverware shifting and clinking against one another. Tourists and even a few disgruntled or joyous locals entered and flooded out of the eatery, chatting about food prices in annoyance or just enjoying the day. The air smelled of carrots, sea breeze and cooking meat; a few gulls cawing from their flight and height in the sky.

Many people walked around the deck of the large shack-like establishment, a few passing by Riku and Kairi's shared table. They were taking freely, conversing about the weather. Kairi and the silveret kept their noses out of their conversation, however, keeping to their drink in peaceful silence. The tourist closest to the duo caught the wine haired girl's attention. She was gesturing with her free hand, the other holding a cup of carryout pina-colada soft-serve ice cream.

Her hair was brown, rivaling the deep pools of chocolate that her eyes held. The brunette wore an orange spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of not too revealing shorts over her bathing suit. It was a one piece, as far as Kairi could tell, tinted a burnt red color, complimenting her dark orange shorts. As she passed by though, something in the violet eyed girl lurched at the conversation taking place.

"You hear about that storm that's coming?" One girl said. She was a redhead, her long braids swishing behind her and reaching the topmost part of her thighs.

The brunette nodded her head in response, the slush in the Styrofoam cup sloshing and the one long braid behind her following the movement. "Yeah. Well, it is hurricane season and all, I just hope it doesn't hit before we make it to the car." She pouted, plucking a gnat from the side of the Styrofoam. The girls laughed together, a tinkling noise.

"I wanted to swim but the undertow was bad," A bleach-blonde sucked her teeth and snapped her fingers. "Damn." The girls sighed in unison, bowing their heads. Another, the last, shrugged off the depression. "Oh well. We always have next week!" Their voices faded off as they walked the final stretch out, Kairi staring after them.

Riku looked at his girlfriend in question, noticing her sudden lapse into silence. He 'mmh?'ed and nudged the fat glass of cola closer, attempting at receiving her attention again. The glass skidded over the table, sloshing around the contents and the straws held within. She took notice, hesitated.

"I.." She started, trying to get it out, her fingers squeezing Rikus'. "I have a bad feeling..." Kairi bit her bottom lip, tugging it between her teeth and worrying the lump of glossy flesh. Riku just smiled and muttered softly, "Why worry?" He squeezed her hand. "If it's about Sora, he's swum in heftier stuff than a.. hurricane…" Then he suddenly grew worried himself, his eyes shifting over the expanse of beach sand.

Kairi didn't look convinced, her romantic mood dampened by the sudden wave of apprehensive emotion for her second best friend. "He's never battled an undertow before like this one Riku..." She spoke softly, lips glossy and pursed. He narrowed his eyes at the ocean, drifting upwards while finally widening at the close proximity of the rolling, dark monster overhead threatening to block the sun any minute. Riku, without looking away, grabbed his bag of seashells, clothes and coconuts and tucked them under the crooks of his arms.

"We're going to get him, Kairi." He sounded anxious, his hands fumbling with the sack, Kairi following and helping to carry the seashell net.

-)(-)(- **Sora** -)(-)(-

"Holy -!" Sora cried. It was _freezing_. It was like icicles to the flesh, a stinging array of molten spikes and icy tendrils. "This is _colllldd_..." Sora hadn't just walked over and tested first either. For him not to think was a bad move, but it got him used to the water quicker; that was his assumption at least. His shoulders were shaking from the cold, Sora's tan skin rising in little goose bumps.

While turning his head around to look at his surroundings, he noticed people packing up and wadding out of the water; grabbing sandy towels from the shifting earth and walking from the ocean with a few spare glances over their shoulders. Sora's brows knitted, there was no way some lousy storm was going to be this bad. Sora looked over to his side, noticed that even the surfers were hightailing it.

He was already far out, the waves rocking him back and forth repetitively, so it was kind of too late to head to land. He'd have to fight his way back to shore and he just didn't feel like it at the moment. Everything was numb; arms legs and even his face from dipping into the murky, black waters. The blackness was caused by the storm, creating a veil of darkness over the ocean waters.

The clouds were hovering above the occupants of the sand and shore already. However, it was only the first round of fluffy black clouds. Nothing of harm came from them - they were just the outskirts of the storm. So Sora stayed, wading in a few inches and sighing. He was still in such a bad mood. All the water had done was given him more time to think.

He sighed once more, wading closer to shore. The thoughts of Riku and Kairi together plagued him while he swam closer, his mind racing and moves sluggish in the cooling liquid. Bitter thoughts rang through his skull gently at first, growing with more conviction as time passed. Why had Kairi chosen _Riku_ instead of _him_? What was wrong with him? Why was he felling this way towards Riku...? What made Riku so special so he gained love and affectionate emotions from both Kairi _and_ Sora?

It was all so confusing. One minute Riku was just a normal best friend. They fought, bickered and bitched.. They made sand castles together and Sora was always the one to place the starfish on the tippy top. They sword fought a lot and gained a bit of muscle – well, Riku did – from doing so. Everything was perfect… Up until Kairi came along.

She washed up on the beach. _Washed up_. Like a seashell or a plank of wood. She appeared out of nowhere. It was weird, so they grew close to her, the abnormality of the island. Kairi, despite being anomalous and strange, was welcomed by the occupants of the island. Maybe it was because she was so little and cute. Maybe it was because she was alone when she appeared.

Either sounded plausible.

When he snapped to it, his head was tilted down, watching his arms and legs glide. When he finally looked up, he noticed he was farther out than before. He raised an eyebrow. "What..?" He swam faster, kicking his feet with a slightly worried glance at the sky. Sora gasped. The storm had engulfed the island in darkness, a billow of frosty air struck the brunet and the waves below him surged to life, tossing and slamming into him. He cried out, water filling his mouth as he was thrown into the depths of the water, hitting the solid ground at the bottom - grazing his cheek and back on a stray piece of coral.

Dazed, the brunet lay at the bottom, shock beginning to run its course through his veins and head. He dug his hands into the soaked sand, the particles suspending in the shuddering and awakening current.

He quickly felt the burning ache to breathe and refill his lungs become apparent – kicking off the ground and slamming to the surface. He breathed a lungful before a cry reached his ears from the shore. "Sora!" His name was called, his head snapping to see both Riku and Kairi standing on the shores edge, screaming out to him with frantic words. Sora tried to swim; kicking fast and pumping his arms to try to get moving.

The waves curled him upon himself while they reared back; slamming Sora beneath the current once more. Grinding his teeth together, he decided to try – just one last time. Sora kicked off the ground, shooting up shortly but being blown away by a blasting sweep of undertow. He felt the need to breathe clench in his chest; his lungs shrinking painfully and aching harshly, the weight of the water crushing down on him.

" _No_ _!_ " He cried in his thoughts, going unheard by anything that could help him, the burst of energy and words drowning in the thick black brine of ocean. Desperate for air, his body betrayed him finally – mouth snapping open to welcome the salty liquid and sand into his needy lungs. Gagging, he clenched at his throat, inhaling more and more involuntarily, coughing out thick bubbles of carbon dioxide to be carried into the storm overhead.

Thrashing in the murky waters, the brunet cried out, a gnarled and choked noise; a jagged end of coral snagging his trousers and slicing his thigh, blood trailing out of the wound. The boy's vision flickered, hands loosening their intense grip on his throat as a few last remainders of carbon escaping, eyelids fluttering. He fainted from lack of oxygen, fatigue and water pressure then - the last thing he saw being the flashes of lightning overhead.

" _ **His heart..-**_ "

-)(-)(- **?** -)(-)(-

A young boy shot out of bed, eyes wild and hair a tangled mess. He was panting heavily, pale/tanned skin glimmering with a shimmering sheen of wet perspiration. His ears were ringing, a powerful noise that burned his senses. Everything felt strange, like he was in a shocked state; as if his own body was in its _own_ state of shock. His hands trembled and sweated – palms grazing warm sheets. He felt as if he had been lying on ice, his pale white skin freezing when he touched them with his clammy hands.

The boy's legs pressed together, shaking while a mad coughing fit over took his body. He held a fist to his mouth, saliva specks warming certain spots on his hand. When he finished, he was already almost fully aware of his consciousness, the beams of orange morning light kissing his blond spikes and cheeks with warmth. He turned slowly, looking down at the glowing rising sun of his home, Twilight Town.

Pushing up to his knees, he padded over his mattress to the wall closest to his mattress, straightening and pushing open the heavy, however smoothly gliding, windows. The blond looked out with a lingering confusion, breaking only for a long yawn. With a sigh, he took one last look at the sky, asking it with uncertainty the question bubbling up in his gut.

"Who's Sora?"

-)(-)(- **?** -)(-)(-

"– _**is returning**_ **.** "


End file.
